Last Laugh: Bigger and beefier

Remember 2004? Jet was the biggest band in the nation, Princess Mary won our hearts and a film by the name of Super Size Me was released.

In it, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock became very unhealthy when he ate only McDonald's for a month. The film helped spur McDonald's into adding healthier options to its menus and focused both the US and Australia on our expanding obesity problems.

Well, the Yanks seem to have forgotten about all of that.

How else to explain Burger King's latest product - the Quad Stacker. That's four patties of beef, cheese and bacon (no vegetables or salad) squeezed into a bun. At first I thought the story was a joke (once again something The Onion wrote comes true) but, no, there it is on the Burger King's US website, exploding out of the screen (oh, and there are toys to go with it - c'mon kids, eat a burger that's larger than your head!).

The Quad Stacker is perhaps a challenger to KFC's Famous Bowls - named by the Los Angeles Timesas the worst fast food in the nation. The Famous Bowls (famous for what, exactly?) consist of a tub of mashed potatoes or rice, with yellow corn, fried chicken nuggets, gravy and three types of cheese. This is not a boxed meal with various separate parts - it's one big bowl of stuff all mixed in together.

Now if only KFC would add four beef patties to the bowl, we could have ourselves an outright winner.

So, if you were forced to eat one of these items, which one would you choose? (For those who care about calories, the bowls have 710, but the burger gets up to 1000. Whopper indeed.)

Posted
by Craig PlattAugust 8, 2006 8:21 AM

LATEST COMMENTS

I can feel my heart clenching just looking at that thing.

I'd probably choose the burger...at least I could take it apart and just eat the bread. That bowl thing looks and sounds like KFC vomit.

Posted by: Arian at August 8, 2006 9:00 AM

Time to confess publicly. A few years ago, when I first started living away from home, I had Burger King about 3-4 times a week, mostly the grilled chicken burger. Soon, I started having these massive, mountainous BLACK zits (pimples) on my face. I was scary. They were like no other pimples I had ever had. Normal pimples are reddish, whereas these were black. I stopped eating Burger King and very soon the pimples disappeared. Should've made a movie about it. I would've been famous.

Posted by: Confession at August 8, 2006 9:53 AM

These fast food companies are a blight on our society. Demeaning, low pay jobs and rubbish food made as cheaply as possible. Ban em - quick.

Posted by: pete at August 8, 2006 10:03 AM

imagine all of that fatty low quality meat and synthetic cheese festering in your bowels for days and then ry and eat it.
i tried the mcdonalds Beefmeister back in the day(remember that thing? (3 layers of meat and cheese with a taste that can be compared to Shane Warnes undies) I felt my stomach beg for mercy after the first bite.
famous bowls? quad stacker? who the hell invents this crap? who ever they are, they smoke way too many bongs to crave those sort of concoctions!

Posted by: kane at August 8, 2006 10:32 AM

like many, I have to make a conscious effort to maintain my weight (successfully I might add, I have always had a nice healthy BMI of approx 22) and so eating McDonalds, Hungry Jacks and KFC are pretty much out of the question (I would have to give up nearly two entire meals for a burger and fries). But that said I still think thier food tastes fantastic and I doubt that I am the only one. Mc Donalds etc would be out of business otherwise. People who constantly assert that their food tastes crap don't really help and generally aren't the ones with a problem anyway.....I don't know about you but the image of that burger is making me hungry ;-)

Posted by: sally at August 8, 2006 11:09 AM

Cigarette packets now have to have pictures of the damage their contents cause - coronary disease, gangrene, mouth cancer - conspicuously displayed on all sides.

Let's treat everyone on the playing field equally and mandate that McDonalds, Hungry Jacks and the rest have to have pictures of grossly fat people in swimsuits on their packaging.

Let's face it, the food does taste good (to most - I'm a vegetarian and the only thing McDonalds serve that I can eat is a vile pesto thing and I can't stomach the smell of the oil they fry their chips in) so we need a cigarette-packet-like shock pic to drive the message of fast-food related obesity home.

MarkG

Posted by: MarkG at August 8, 2006 12:05 PM

mcdonalds is the worst fast food available. their burgers are too synthetic and have no taste. at least a whopper has taste. my favourite fast food is nando's. cooked fresh and fast and taste absolutely fantastic! mcdonalds is all about efficiency and convenience not quality of food (especially as there is no quality to any of their products).

Posted by: kane at August 8, 2006 12:15 PM

America is the land of big things and unfortunately so are parts of Australia. I am still disgusted by some of my friends who judge a meal at a restaurant pretty much by the size of it. ?Oh I didn?t like Taxi because the servings were too small. I mean your paying $30 so I want something big?. I think this heart stopper from Burger King is an example of feeding the masses who want something big for their $4. 1000 calories or not there will always be a market for something like this. Usually with the lower income, outer suburb masses who eat fast food.

Posted by: Ben at August 8, 2006 12:18 PM

Mark G, has a great idea. If we are ever going to beat the obesity epidemic, it's drastic steps like this that must be taken. While wer'e at lets ban computer game consoles, and force the kiddies outside to play like the rest of us had to! How can we have an epidemic of obesity? It baffles me!

Posted by: jimbob at August 8, 2006 12:29 PM

Mark G...
Obese people in swimsuits?
Its Brilliant!
Then again, this wld probably only drive away those ppl that arent actually obese. For the rest it wld be like looking in a mirror and since they're standing in line for the food anyway, I guess its not making a difference.

Granted, I'm one of those that thinks that on the whole the food tastes good but, I eat it in moderation so its not such a big deal.

In terms of the question, if I *had* to choose, I'd have to pick the burger...

Posted by: Stella at August 8, 2006 12:30 PM

good idea Mark G, lets not stop there though. Lets put horrid pictures of fatties on the label of every food that could possibly be bad for you, that should take care of the problem. Just think even fruit juice will get fattie pics - its effect on the waistline is no different to soft drinks (apple juice is actually about 25% worse than Coke as regards sugar). How about we get real and wise up to the fact that no-one has ever got fat from occasionaly eating fast food, in moderation its no problem. The slobs who eat it many times a week are hardly health conscious types who would be eating healthy food in place of it if it wasn't available freely anyway. In short, people have the choice of what they eat and are responsible for their actions - no-one ever forced a gun to someone's head and said 'eat that Big Mac'! The easy way out is to blame the fast food companies but that achieves nothing, they aren't going anywhere.

Posted by: Jimmos at August 8, 2006 12:30 PM

I've been on a Weight Watchers diet since xmas (I've lost 16kgs). The little books you can get to show you how much different foods are worth. I have 20 "points" allocated to me per day... A Hungry Jacks "Whopper with cheese" is work 19 points!

Yes, that's without having any chips or drink. If I eat one of them, I'm not supposed to eat anything else for the rest of the day...

McDonalds burgers average just over half that, which is still bad. Oh, and don't be fooled by their new low fat Deli choices either, they are only slightly better than their burgers.

It's unbeleivable that in the light of America's (and Australia's) growing obesity problems, they are still trying to encourage us to eat more fat!

These junk food places are evil -- they exploit young people by paying a ridiculous low wage, treat them like trash and serve customer the worst kind of rubbish you can eat and call it food. They also destroy small businesses -- in my area since a KFC has appeared, much to the protest of locals, a few food places (all privately owned) have closed down. Profit goes now straight into a corporation instead of supporting a small business that keeps a family afloat. At the end of the day, the sucker is the person who walks into a Hungy Jack's, KFC or Mc Donald's and thinks they are doing no harm. They're damaging their health and supporting corporations that have no interest in doing what's good for consumers -- the burger patties in these places is made with everything else they can't sell at the supermarket. Nothing is wasted. Nice time you bite into that juicy burger, remember that you're biting into some animal's waste disposal unit. Yum, yum...would you like fries with that?

Laurie

Posted by: Laurie at August 8, 2006 12:39 PM

i dont see what all the fuss is about. I think Australian parents today worry to much about food. Im a big man, and I like my meals BIG.

If your worried about kids getting too fat, get them some exercise. i play rugby twice a week and Im BIG

Posted by: Big Jim at August 8, 2006 12:41 PM

How about the Cricketer's box that KFC put out a year or so back, who would eat that.

Posted by: rod at August 8, 2006 1:18 PM

I have a better idea... don't eat there!!!

Crazy I know.

If you eat this rubbish regularly then you have noone to blame but yourself.

Posted by: jon at August 8, 2006 1:35 PM

I kind of agree with you Jimmos . . . fast food companeis should not be liable for people trying to fatten themselves into oblivion. However, putting a burger like this out into the market and bundling it with kids figurines is a bit much.

The only reason I could see for giving a kid this burger is if you are babysitting the little bugger and want it to pass out into a coma as soon as possible . . .

Posted by: Andy at August 8, 2006 1:58 PM

mmmmmmmm, hamburgers......

Posted by: homer at August 8, 2006 2:07 PM

I don't really understand calories as units, but.... I would have thought that the average person needs a few more than 1000 a day. So - just eat one of these meals and nothing else and you'll lose weight. Right? I mean, you might be covered in big black pimples a la confession, but you can deal with that when you're feeling nice and skinny.

Take heart Laurie - a KFC that has been in Smith St Fitzroy for ages closed down recently. So it can happen.

Posted by: vj at August 8, 2006 2:43 PM

They should've called it the Quadruple bypass burger.

Posted by: Emily at August 8, 2006 2:44 PM

My arteries clogged just reading that piece.I cannot eat KFC, Burger King, Mcdonalds without being violently ill. In a way I am very happy about it. I physically cannot put my body through eating chemical fat drenched crap. Surely BK wouldn't be so stupid to introduce that in oz. Then again, Krispy Kreme has landed in Victoria and people are actually queing 4 hours for them. So, i reckon they would be welcome treat for some people. heart surgery anyone?

Posted by: Deb b at August 8, 2006 2:44 PM

Get 'em when they're young, and you'll have them for life.

Pester power and addictive addatives = profit.

It's time for parents to take control of their childrens eating habits.

Posted by: Buck Buckaw at August 8, 2006 2:53 PM

"In January 2005, a 100-pound woman became the first person to win the Denny's Beer Barrel Pub challenge when 19-year-old Kate Stelnick of Princeton, New Jersey, downed a six-pound Denny's "96er" hamburger and five pounds of fixins' in 2 hours and 54 minutes, just shy of the three-hour time limit. For her trouble, Ms. Stelnick got a special certificate, a T-shirt, and other prizes, as well as having her tab for the $23.95 burger picked up by the house.

After losing the title of "world's biggest burger" to the Clinton Station Diner in Clinton, N.J., which introduced a 12.5-pound hamburger called "Zeus" in early 2005, Denny's reclaimed the crown a few months later by unveiling the "Beer Barrel Belly Buster" a monstrous 15-pound burger featuring 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers. On a bun."

Actually, I worked at McDonalds throughout University. I got a pretty good casual wage, took home left over food to supplement my meagre student budget (they have salads too) and I could pretty much work when I wanted to.

And it wasn't too bad a place to work.

Posted by: Julien at August 8, 2006 3:06 PM

I just went to hungries and got em to make me one. its not available in oz yet, but i just got em to put four whopper patties, lotsa cheez, mayo and (for the BIG jim twist) lotsa chips. BIG

YUM YUM YUM

Posted by: Big Jim at August 8, 2006 3:07 PM

i agree with julian. I worked a maccas for abit, it wasnt all bad. I also worked at a chicken shop, i wasnt alowed to cook though, i was in charge of de-boning. not a bad job all in all but not my best one

Take some responsibility here people! If no-one bought the food - THEN fast food places would close. This is like those morons in the USA suing Maccas or whoever because they got fat!

Idiocy and simplist blame mentalities are a blot on our society.

Posted by: sharyn at August 8, 2006 3:23 PM

I just worked out I would have to run for 1 hour and 50 min just to work off that one burger.

I run aprox 12km per day (6km twice a day)and that takes me less than 72 min.

Posted by: Disastergirl at August 8, 2006 3:57 PM

Why is take-away food bad for you?

It would surprise most to know that it is not the level of saturated fat in the burgers or fries, it is in fact the new fad for fast-food chains to use hydrogenated vegetable oils (in a misguided attempt to appease the lobby groups).

Believe it or not, the fast food that we ate 20 years ago, which was cooked in Palm oils and Beef tallow was much safer to eat (if not actually nutritious). Today our fast food cooked in 'heart-friendly' hydrogenated oils is the single largest contributor to heart-disease in our country. It also contributes to cancer, obesity, diabetes and depression.

I feel sorry for MacDonalds who were forced to use hydrogenated oils by the the anti-saturated/cholesterol campaigners.

Posted by: Gordon Rouse at August 8, 2006 3:58 PM

All this stuff still tastes better than the fake cream in Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I tried one to see what all the fuss was about. They do a low fat, low sugar one - it's called an empty bag.

I flew back from Sydney recently and couldn't believe it, there must have been 30-40 people on the flight with bags of 2-3-4 dozen doughnuts, it was the same on the nearby Brisbane flight.

Posted by: capstan at August 8, 2006 4:04 PM

i have an idea why not place levies on these burgers, and reduce the levies on fuel. Then put the money to good use by maintaining parks and sporting clubs. Remember when being a part of these clubs was cheaper than the playground at macca's(including the happy meal). The government is adament about putting pictures on cigarettes, to stop smoking because of the costs associated with health care to smoking related illness. Guess what, eating these things are just as bad for your health. If the government think that smokers are so retarded that they need graphic illustrations, so that they understand "Smoking kills". Then surely there are people that need more than a graphic illustration on a birger...perhaps a free set of scales or a mirror.

Posted by: baz at August 8, 2006 4:09 PM

What's the deal here. I saw this already available in Germany 8 weeks ago during the world cup. I was walking down a mall in Cologne, and saw a sign outside a Burger King. I thought "what the hell is that a joke" so walked inside and had a look. Nup, no joke! It was called the Big King XXXL, with 3 layers of "beef" a bit of cheese and bacon between each layer (there was also the Big King XL, XXL if you only wanted 1 or two meat chunks). However, what made it a touch different from this 'offering' above, is that the Germans put a naughty slice of tomato and lettuce on top - actually giving it the impression that it might have a slight redeeming factor. I think it was just a temporary special, for the world cup, but I'm not 100% sure. All I know is that fast food, while still popular, isn't a huge thing in Germany. Biergartens are where the Germans choose to put on their weight and good on 'em for being different.

Posted by: kieran at August 8, 2006 4:40 PM

I want fries with that!

Posted by: kanatcha at August 8, 2006 5:44 PM

This is pathetic all of you should be ashames, maccas is internationally knowen for treating its crew better then most companys and i should no having worked with then for just over a year, they are flexible and get payed then any other fast food outlet! And as for the food you choose to eat it you choose to pay for it, you cant blame companies for the fact that you have believed them it all comes back to peer preasure, and didnt we all learn to no listen back in high school i work at the damn place and still manage to control myself

Posted by: Toni at August 8, 2006 6:02 PM

Yeah... that's a mean looking Burger... and as for all these born agains/physcopaths who are anti this, I would just love to get my chompers around that.

Posted by: Alan at August 8, 2006 6:57 PM

Yet again another attack on the fast food industry. IF ITS SO BAD DONT EAT IT. Its the parents who you should blame.
I'm a fit, healthy, athletic 19 year old uni student and i enjoy fast food once or twice a week, and i'm appalled to see young mothers with their kids there. its disgusting.
But why punish all of us because some parents... sorry most parents are lazy parents and wont cook for their children. They dont put them in under 8 soccer because it takes effort to drive them to training twice a week, because a play station will do the job.
Why should we all have to suffer because of the problems in society and the the breakdown of the basics of family?

Posted by: Gomata Makhmalbaf at August 8, 2006 7:12 PM

For those who think that McDonald's is a great place to work and offers good food, enlight yourself:

1) if you think any franchise burger tastes good, go home and make your own and it will taste so much better you'll never buy another burger from a franchise. really!.

2) why doesnt someone start up a takeaway food joint that has a healthy menu but is cheap like Maccas. & dont quote me Subway, I mean something with variety and taste thanks hehehe. & why do I have to pay a premium for a freshly blended juice at some yuppy bar over softdrink.

If healthy stuff was the same price or only a *little* dearer I'd go for the healthy stuff and I reckon lots of other people would too. And when you go to a food court, the junk food is cheap, but the healthy stuff is either much dearer or absent altogether.

and for the love of God (!) could you fix the damn security code box so I dont have to enter the correct code in 4 times before it accepts my post. shhheesshh!

Posted by: beavis at August 8, 2006 8:00 PM

I'll gladly pay Tuesday for a hamburger now.............

Posted by: DUCK at August 8, 2006 8:31 PM

I've always found fast foods like these to have a noticeable laxative effect. Who says they fester in your bowels for days? It's such bad food, your body can't wait that long to 'expel' it!

Posted by: jared at August 8, 2006 9:04 PM

Well, despite the negative comments... the lines are long, the chains grow. So I think its about time that we confess, and (there is nothing bad about this), that we are all Americans at heart.

Posted by: Adam at August 8, 2006 10:48 PM

You have it so easy in Australia. There's a minor-league baseball team here in America that sells 4,500 of these beauties per day:

Sounds like you've had way too many burgers and chips from these joints. And the 'lines' are made of people who are either addicted, or they don't really think about what they're doing because it's convenient for them.

I know that the USA offers 50,000 green cards a year -- you might want to jump in.

Laurie

Posted by: Laurie at August 9, 2006 11:25 AM

Beavis

It aint cheap but if you want a GOOD HEALTHY BURGER try Burger Republic- theres one in Errol St North Melbourne.... so very good......

Posted by: purple at August 9, 2006 12:41 PM

It must just be me, but looking at that burger makes me hungry. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm fattening.

I think i might head down to BBNTs tonight.

Posted by: Gabbo at August 9, 2006 2:43 PM

No, Toni, I do not feel ashamed.

Have you ever worked anywhere other than Maccas?

Then you'd realise how exploited you actually are, poor baby.

Posted by: godevil at August 9, 2006 2:57 PM

lol @ Laurie, these "corporations" pushing out the small local business owners? Get a grip on yourself, the corporations are just a business structure. In the same way most of those small businesses would be owned by a family trust. Almost all fast food chains are owned by franchisees who, wait for it, are usually local people! *waits for a gasp from the crowd*

Please Laurie, stop rattling off little catch phrases you hear at your save the whales/penguins/fat old men in speedos rallies.

These kids working at the fast food places aren't exploited, they are paid in many cases above minimum wage. No worse than what I used to get paid myself working in retail.

Posted by: Brian Saunders at August 10, 2006 10:32 AM

At least they are offering jobs to the otherwise unemployable.

Don't assert that the employees are forced to work there for no money - that's crap.
They get paid quite well and at least they're not unemployed.

If you can't control the amount of junk food you eat, then you deserve what you get. Those of us who have self-control and do regular exercise should be allowed to chose to eat this stuff from time to time if we want.

Posted by: poppy at August 10, 2006 12:37 PM

A cardiothoracic surgery course at the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, anyone?

Posted by: Kimmy at August 10, 2006 10:42 PM

Brian (Colonel) Saunders,

'Get a grip on yourself'

'stop rattling'

Yes, you are very convincing with your argument (more like a rant). Is that how you talk to your junior employees when they complain about the $3.50 per hour or the verbal abuse in front of customers?

$3.50/hr? Get your facts straight! That's certainly not the case in Australia. I used to work for them too back at school as a teenager some 9 years ago and they paid at least the award wage (around $10/hr at that time, more for the older workers).

That being said anyone eating there regularly deserve what they get.

Posted by: Wills at August 11, 2006 12:18 PM

BRING IT ON!!
I eat takeaway most of the time, but it seems to have no effect on me whatsoever.
I'm 32 and weigh 70Kg. Not to mention, I'm in great shape too!

The site of this thing makes me WANT ONE! I'm on my way to Macca's asap for 2 quarter pounders, large fries, large coke and a double chocolate sunday. Ohh Yeh!

The only problem is they don't sell these here... yet!

I can't believe that I need to eat a whole 250gm block of chocolate every night. Usually takes about 15 mins.

Posted by: Kel Stewart at August 11, 2006 1:36 PM

laurie, that pamphlet you link to with the instructions 'educate yourself' quotes wages "as of 4.1.80". yeah, 1980. and get this, none of them are as low as the $3.50 an hour you quote. your blind, impotent outrage would do well to find a less noisy outlet, if it can't find one with more substance.

Posted by: Daniel at August 11, 2006 5:55 PM

It's coz of junk like this I never ever intentionally go to any fast food joints. I am averaging 1ce per 6 months and intend on bringing it down. Fast Food is Slow Poison.

Posted by: dude3 at August 12, 2006 5:15 PM

that burger looks absolutely fan-boody-tastic. I can't wait for it to come to Australia.

please please

Posted by: Igomi Watabi at August 13, 2006 5:04 PM

God, Laurie is stupid. He's quoting pay rates from articles that were made over 20 years ago. $3.50 wasn't that bad for teenagers back then, you doofus.

Posted by: HT at August 14, 2006 10:02 PM

I worked at Macca's for around three years, and for the most part i was treated better and payed about the same as i do now in a "proper" full time job. I eat takeaway (KFC, maccas) once a week, exercise twice a week and go out on weekends, and at the moment i'm losing around 0.5-1.5 kilos per week. Its all about moderation and good exercise. I recommend taking up dancing, its done wonders for me!

Posted by: Simon at August 15, 2006 12:37 PM

Haven't eaten CrapDonalds in over 2 years but I think I might go and grab some now with all this talk of burgers, mmm burgers. The fact is this stuff does actually taste good. It is not quality food and you will undoubtedly feel like s__t for eating it but don't tell me that there isn't a secret part of you deep inside that craves it. The same part that craves all the stuff that is bad or bad for you. The key is to break out of the cycle of eating this crap. Once you make the conscious decision not to have it regularly, the full enormity of its horror hits you when you do actually grab some.

Posted by: kevvin at August 15, 2006 1:42 PM

On the navigation bar at the Burger King website, notice how "nutrition" doesn't come under the menu? It's listed separately!

What a coincidence!

Posted by: b at August 15, 2006 8:23 PM

Much of this debate is typical of our emerging unwillingness for to take responsibility for ourselves, and the opinions of a select few that we should not be granted the freedom to make potentially bad choices. It is nobody's responsibility but that of the individual. I feel that it would be an encroachment on my freedom of choice to have my decisions regarding food that has potential for misuse made by a vocal minority. It is the same with smoking. If I find myself suffering from obesity, diabetes or lung cancer it will be the fault of no-one but myself. That said, it is important that we are informed as to the risks of such behaviour, but manipulation in the form of pictures of obese people is detracting from our ability to make unbiased decisions. And of course it is being able to make the right decisions that leads to our growth, both personally and as a society. We cannot progress by being sheltered from choice. Plus it tastes good.

Posted by: Ed at August 15, 2006 10:42 PM

Discipline not anti fast food. Agreed.

Posted by: Naruto at August 17, 2006 4:01 PM

another american speciality I noticed on my last visit was the Hardees philly cheesesteak thickburger - a 1/3 pound angus beef patty topped with thin sliced beef and swiss and american cheese.
And only 930 calories....

Posted by: Fi at September 1, 2006 10:49 AM

Another thing that needs mentioning about these places is just how bloody ugly their buildings usually are, usually of a very similiar standard and consistency as the food.. structural eyesores that add to the walking ones that frequent them..

Posted by: george lazenby at September 6, 2006 10:01 PM

The septics would have to have some of the worst food *IF* you can call it food on the planet.They dont need to wait for a attack from terrorists,they have their own terrorists in these food outlets,they will kill more Americans than Bin Laden could ever wish to.